Page 75 of Always Right

I would never take that from her.

Her eyes fluttered open and she saw me, her cheeks taking on that rosy color I loved but she didn’t say a word, instead making room on the bench for me to sit next to her. I let out a quiet laugh as I did, leaning in to press a kiss on her temple while I listened to every note and every stroke, enjoying the moment as she let me see more of her.

I’d seen her last night—so undone and vulnerable and unafraid. She’d given in, inhibitions out the window, completely mine in every sense of the word. There was no fear in her eyes, no hesitation, and as I looked at her then, I knew it was gone. I knew Hannah had let go of everything that weighed her down.

This was the woman I’d fallen in love with.

Hannah played the final key with a grin, placing her hands in her lap when she was done.

“Beautiful.” She beamed, looking up at me and giving me a kiss.

Hannah rested her head on my shoulder, her fingers delicately caressing the piano. “I love playing...almost as much as I love being your wife.”

My wife.

Holy shit.

She was my wife, after years of waiting for this moment, wanting her more than anything in the goddamn world, she was finally mine. I’d do it all in a heartbeat again, if I knew that in the end she would be mine. All the pain and heartache would be worth it, and it was, if I had her by my side.

“We have to find a place for your piano.” Hannah rolled her eyes, ignoring my statement like she always did.

“There’s more to figure out than where we will put a piano,” she whispered.

I hummed. “I suppose there is.”

“Are we moving into your apartment or my house?”

“Wherever you want.”

She pouted, her brows furrowing. “Well...are we going to stay wherever we choose or will we get another house?”

“That’s up to you.”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “Are we both going to continue working or will it just be one of us?”

“Whatever you want.”

Her eyes narrowed on me and I chuckled, pulling her onto my lap. She shrieked but didn’t protest, corralled between the piano and me. I rested my hands underneath the shirt, touching the soft skin of her waist, caressing her.

“Are you just going to agree with whatever I say?”

“Well, the saying is ‘happy wife, happy life’ right?”

Hannah shot me an annoyed glare. Even then, she looked perfect, and she fucking knew it, too. Her eyes shone with mischief even though her lips were pressed in a tight line.

“Is the house your forever home? Or is it something temporary?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, because you haven’t unpacked, so something tells me it doesn’t feel like home to you.”

Hannah shrugged, looking away for a few seconds. Ah, the tension returned to her shoulders. I didn’t think she’d ever grow used to how much I knew her, but it would never be enough for me. I wanted to know every inch of her mind and body...know everything there was to know about the woman who had all the power over me so I could give her everything she wanted.

I took her chin in my hand, forcing her eyes back on me. “It isn’t complicated,” I said to her. “I’ll leave my apartment and move into the house, all the girls stuff is there anyway. And then, when we decide it’s time to move and look for another house, one you love and one that is exactly what you want, we’ll do that. We’ll both continue working unless one wants to stop, then we’ll figure it out. Nothing has to change, baby. The only thing that’s different is that now we make the decisions together. But I’ll never make you stop working, or doing the things you love. Does that sound like a plan to you?”

“I suppose it does.”

She was everything I wanted in a woman. Strong, vulnerable...independent. I kissed her, wrapping my arms around her body and pulling her close to me.

---